


Free Falling

by ChokolatteJedi



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Berlin Wall, Emotional, M/M, Multi, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-10
Updated: 2010-01-10
Packaged: 2017-10-20 11:24:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/212268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChokolatteJedi/pseuds/ChokolatteJedi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>America wants to help tear down the Berlin Wall, but what will he find on the other side?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Free Falling

**Author's Note:**

  * For [miaoujones](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miaoujones/gifts).



> USxUSSR Santa present for Miaoujones.
> 
> Prompt Chosen: Last meeting before the Berlin Wall went up -OR- first meeting after the Wall came down.

He wasn't supposed to be there, of course, but America couldn't resist. He had honestly tried to obey his boss, but his resolve had lasted all of an hour before he was running to the hanger and jumping into his plane. He didn't _need_ to be there either, strictly speaking; the wall was going to come down tonight whether he was in Berlin or not.

But America _needed_ to help. Not for the sake of the German people, but to assuage his own guilt. America wasn't necessarily proud of all his actions (and reactions) to the Bolshevik revolution, and to the following events through the years. He had shunned most of his friends in Eastern Europe, and often for the least little reason. He had to do _something_ to make it up to them, even if they didn't know that he was doing it.

And one way that America could hopefully make it up to the countries who had once been his friends was to tear a few bricks out of the Berlin wall.

###

There were people crammed around him, shouting and crying and screaming slogans and insults and prayers. America found the enthusiasm infectious, and he joined in, cheering and yelling some of the few appropriate German phrases he knew.

And all the noise wasn't just coming from his side of the wall. People were just as loud on the Eastern side, and America couldn't help but feel that that was a good sign.

The people around him suddenly scrambled backwards, and America did the same; a large chunk of the wall toppled down, just barely missing the stragglers. Then they were rushing back to the front, roaring their success, stumbling over the rubble, and prying at the wall again.

There was a power flowing through the demolitionists, making the air around them seem to crackle with electricity. America knew that none of them could ever forget these moments, as they literally changed history. It was slightly terrifying, but mostly exhilarating, and America laughed as he worked.

With another roar, the crowd surged backwards, and the wall wobbled in their wake, like it was trying to withstand the tidal suction of their absence. There was a moment of anticipation, as though each person was collectively holding his or her breath.

America couldn't tell who it came from, but a brick suddenly hurtled from the crowd and smashed into the wall. It wobbled again, and then, with a clash that sent up clouds of dust and made America's ears ring, the wall fell.

As the dust settled, America saw another crowd, standing across from them, all bearing the same expression he assumed that he wore: a mixture of pride and surprise, with a little awe mixed in. There was a moment, as the motes of dirt and mortar slowly settled, when both crowds just stared at each other silently. Then someone on the other side cheered, and suddenly the tide of people was moving forward again, sweeping America with it.

Both sides met in the middle, climbing over the remains and desperately hugging each other. It didn't matter that they were strangers. It didn't matter that they would never see each other again. Right now, in this moment, America loved each and every person he could see. It was impossible to tell anymore, who had been on which side of the wall, as they had become one giant mass of emotional current. Hugs and kisses and tears were all being shared freely.

A blonde woman laughed as she hugged America. She was followed by a young man who kissed him on both cheeks. Then came an old woman who cried as he hugged her, and she was followed by a pale man who kissed America right on the mouth.

It took him a full moment to realize exactly who he had just seen, but when America looked around for the other man, he couldn't find a trace of him. He was tempted to believe that it was a trick, that his mind had simply imagined the sight of his fellow country.

But he licked his lips, and there it was - the familiar mix of fresh snow, honey, and vodka that he hadn't tasted in years. It _was_ Russia who had kissed him in the middle of the melee.

America spun around again, twisting his ankle on the rubble, but he couldn't see Russia anywhere. Another celebrant grabbed America in a bear hug, and he found himself pulled back into the merriment. For hours the crowds partied, sharing food and drinks and love as though they were old friends, instead of just passing ships in the night.

###

On the mantle above a roaring fire, between a picture of America in a B52 and a bottle of vodka, stood a dusty brick with a chunk of mortar sticking to the side.

On the shelf next to a picture of America and Canada beside a campfire and a small tea tin full of Russian tobacco, sat a brick with a splash of blue spray paint across the front.

Though they still hadn't spoken since that night, the first tentative step had been taken. If East and West Germany could reconcile, so could Russia and America.


End file.
